Picture Credit: Twitter
As Australia continue to battle Pakistan in the historic Benaud-Qadir trophy, the Pakistan Cricket Twitter account shared a wholesome video where players from both teams were seen interacting with each other before the third day. But the highlight of the video was when Australian batter Usman Khawaja jokingly told the viewers how the fans in the stadium cheered on as he was dismissed on 97.
He said, "Thank you, Pindi, Thank you, Islamabad. The crowd has been really good. Everyone has supported us here. You cheered when the DRS showed I was out (smiles)..that's the only thing I didn't like." Khawaja was looking in good touch on the field as he was nearing his 11th hundred. But in 54th over, the 35-year-old went for a reverse sweep but as he misjudged the length, the ball hit his gloves and went into the hands of the square leg fielder. The umpire gave it not out. Pakistan reviewed the decision and it was overturned as out. Khawaja had to go back to the dressing room at 97 off 159 balls with 15 boundaries.
Khawaja’s Pakistan connection
Before the start of the Test series, Usman Khawaja had expressed how playing in Pakistan would be a special occasion for him as a large part of his family is from Pakistan. He said, "The fact that I am playing in Pakistan is special, very special. I always wanted to play in Pakistan as I said down the road. There is that bit of sentiment definitely, but once the game starts you don't think about that stuff.
“I look forward to playing in Rawalpindi, where I went to the old stadium as a kid and have played once," said Khawaja, who revealed he had visited Pakistan on four occasions, the last time in 2010. "Karachi is also special to my heart, where my relatives live, but since we are in a security bubble there is no chance of meeting anyone," said Australian batter.